


This Time Tomorrow

by messermoony



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: I don't know what I'm doing, M/M, Pining, rhink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-08
Updated: 2016-07-08
Packaged: 2018-07-22 02:08:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7415107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/messermoony/pseuds/messermoony
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rhett has to learn to control his affections for his best friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Time Tomorrow

It was the summer before their senior year of high school and, as it was July in North Carolina, the temperature had managed to climb its way into the upper nineties. Rhett called his best friend up that morning, and now here they stood on the edge of the Cape Fear River in the same spot they'd swam since they were kids. Link had parked his small truck ten feet behind them.

Rhett was barely through pulling his shirt over his head when Link looked up at him grinning and said, "race you to the other side!" Rhett, of course, accepted the challenge, launching himself into the water aside the other boy. The water's cold engulfed him, instantly relieving the burn of the scolding summer air. He fought his way across the river's harsh current. As he pulled himself to the rough shore of the small island, he was pleased to see that he'd beat Link. He laid there on his back, panting and squinting against the sun, and propped himself up on his elbows to watch Link crawl next to him.

"Nice, man," Link said, a soft grin playing on his lips, adventure and amusement sparkling in his clear blue eyes. He collapsed next to Rhett, and there was nothing Rhett could do to keep the satisfied smile off his own face. Link was sitting so close that Rhett could feel water dripping from the other boy onto his own arm.

There'd been so many girls before that both boys had sought after; they'd dated girls and flirted with girls, successfully and unsuccessfully. But it was never very much for Rhett, as it was really to do what everyone else was doing—it always just seemed like the thing he _had_ to do. Girls were nice, but there had never been one that Rhett cared deeply for. The only person he could manage to really bring himself to care for, fully and unselfishly, was Link; the only person, in his short seventeen years, that Rhett had ever loved was Link.

And maybe this was why he had never done anything about it—because as much as he adored his friend, he knew how uncomfortable it would make things for the other boy to do anything about it; he knew how selfish it would be. He knew it was wrong, that boys liked girls and girls liked boys and that was the way things were—he shouldn't be infatuated with another boy. Link saw them as nothing more than just friends, so that would be enough for Rhett.

Until today. Rhett wasn't sure what it was—maybe the longing look that his best friend shared, a decade-old yearning as he gazed up at Rhett—that possessed him, but today something felt different. As Rhett looked down at Link, who was basically halfway underneath him as he leaned over, he couldn't quite place what it was. It amazed him because he knew that he shared that longing, and it also terrified him because he didn't know if he was just imagining things or what he would do if he wasn't imagining things. But he took the chance and didn't even try to stop himself, closing both his eyes and the short distance between them, pressing his own mouth to the other boy's. It took a second, but then Link kissed him back.

His best friend tasted different than what Rhett had imagined—a gentle sweetness covered up by the wet tang of river water. He kissed soft and cautiously, but Link quickly roughened it into something more desperate. He used one arm up to keep himself up on the shore and wrapped the other around Rhett's neck, pulling their slippery bodies closer together. This filled Rhett with courage, and his sheepishness slipped away as he kissed his friend back more hungrily.

Just as Rhett was beginning to think that he could never get enough, Link pulled back, gasping for air. It was too soon, much too soon, and Rhett was desperate but nervous and, God, he didn't want to make Link uncomfortable. Rhett suddenly realized that he was practically laying on top of the other boy and quickly got off. He laid on his side, gazing worryingly at his friend; he wondered what Link was thinking. Though he had no clue how to break the silence, he forced himself to say something.

"I... I'm sorry if I—" but Link cut him off with a laugh.

"Don't apologize."

Now he really didn't know what to say, and eventually gave up on trying to find words. He opted instead to settle his gaze on Link, eyes squinting against the harsh sun.

"It doesn't have to be different," Link finally said, quietly while rubbing his own eyes. Rhett, though disappointed, nodded in agreement.

"We can act like nothing happened."

So things stayed the same.

 

* * *

 

It was senior year of college and they were left alone that night. Their roommate, Gregg, was out on a date with his girlfriend, so the two childhood best friends decided to have a lazy evening watching a movie. They had ordered pizza and eaten it on the couch in the dark as the movie danced its colors across their faces.

At some point when they finished eating, Rhett's arm had settled on the back of the couch. Link had also made himself comfortable, slowly snuggling closer to his best friend, until eventually Rhett wrapped his arm tightly around Link in acceptance. He felt Link sigh, and looked down at his best friend's dark hair and eyelashes that fluttered gently every couple seconds. Smiling, Rhett bent his head to softly kiss the top of his best friend's, not really thinking as he did so. Before he had much time to regret it, Link looked up at him with a small smile, wrapped his arms around the taller boy's neck, and pulled Rhett down into a full kiss.

Rhett was pleased to find out that as Link had grown up, his kissing skills had been perfected. He kissed Rhett fearlessly, so Rhett was unhesitant to do the same. After a few moments, he even felt Link's tongue touch his lips as if asking politely for permission, and Rhett gladly granted it. Their tongues intertwined in a way so perfect, though laden with the taste of pizza, that Rhett felt his stomach flutter. He placed a hand on the side of Link's face, rubbing his thumb in gentle circles as their kiss continued to deepen.

And when Rhett was beginning to believe it would take days more of this to satisfy him, Link pulled away; he looked disheveled but content as he gasped for breath. Rhett felt his insides sink down from their high as reality fell back into place; suddenly he remembered that they both had girlfriends and that this was very wrong, that boys were supposed to like  _ girls _ , only girls.

"Well that was definitely something," Link said. He sounded suggestive in a way that was tempting, but Rhett already felt stupid enough and knew it couldn't happen.

Rhett, though grinning, shook his head and replied, "Link, no, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that, I'm so dumb, I can't believe I thought—"

"God, Rhett, it's okay." Link laughed. "You act like it was all  _ your _  fault."

Rhett let out a heavy sigh and shook his head again.

"Yeah, it's just... Jessie and Christy... and, Link, you know we can't...."

Suddenly Link's humor was gone, and Rhett hated himself as he watched the happiness deflate from those beautiful blue eyes.

"You're right. It's okay, it's okay. Things don't have to change."

So things stayed the same.

 

* * *

 

It was 2011 and they were finally living their dream—they had landed their own TV show. They were crossing the country in a big van, excited and anxious and  _ happy _ , finally happy. Rhett was thrilled that they had found a living they could make side by side, something he could do right next to his favorite person.

They had finally crossed the border into California and their nerves were wildly on end. They decided to get fast food but eat it in the van, as the restaurant was packed and they would rather have been alone. Rhett convinced Link to let him stop in a parking lot for a break from the road while he ate, so there they sat.

They were both tired, though excited, and Rhett was desperate to make Link laugh in an effort to lighten the mood. So as soon as Link pulled his fries out of the bag, Rhett leaned over and plucked one up for himself.

"Hey, you've got a whole box to yourself over there," Link complained, and reached to steal one back from Rhett. Rhett responded by simply taking another one. This time Link gave up, rolling his eyes but a smile playing on his lips nonetheless.

As Rhett was still admiring that smile, Link looked at him with raised eyebrows and said, "you never stop, do you?" And then he did that thing that always killed Rhett, where he smiled with just the left side of his mouth, and Rhett finally lost his cool again. He leaned himself, in one quick movement, over the armrest between them and kissed his best friend, holding the brunette's head between his hands. Link responded the only way he could—by kissing Rhett back. The kiss started sloppy, but of course still perfectly fine for Rhett. It felt incredible to Rhett to kiss someone he fit so well with, his other half, his soulmate. He kissed the other man with care and meaning, not wasting a second of his time.

And then, before Rhett had the slightest chance to feel content, Link abruptly pulled away. Rhett straightened up and watched as his friend looked down at his hands.

"Rhett... God...." Link was fiddling with his wedding ring in his lap like he always did, but this time with a somber look on his face.

"I know, I'm sorry...."

Rhett felt horrible. He didn't know what else to say, because he knew that it was incredibly stupid and inappropriate and how the  hell  could he do that?

But Link shook his head, looked up, and said, "Don't apologize. It's just that I don't know... nevermind."

"Link?" Rhett knew his best friend had something to say and it killed him to know what it was. He felt as if he was begging with his eyes at this point, and Link looked him directly in the eye as he put on the faintest smile.

"Really, it's alright. Look, just forget about it, okay?" And now Link was the one pleading; the desperate look on his face stung deep in the piece of Rhett's heart that just wanted his best friend to be happy.

Rhett nodded, though he knew he couldn't forget about it, because it had been almost 30 years and he'd never forgotten about it, and he knew that as long as it went unreconciled he would not forget about it. But it hurt him so much to see Link looking conflicted; he'd do anything to have that troubled look flip right back to laughter. So he would do his best to forget about it.

"Of course. It's behind us."

So things stayed the same.

 

* * *

 

It was 2016, and they'd been living in LA for a few years now. Though their TV show hadn't worked out, they'd found a better purpose doing Good Mythical Morning on YouTube. Rhett adored creating alongside his best friend, and he knew he was lucky to get to do it.

Living in LA had quite an impact on the way Rhett saw himself. The rising LGBTQ movement suddenly showed him that his infatuation was nothing odd—in fact, it was completely normal. With this newfound acceptance for it came a deeper love for Link as he allowed himself to gaze at his friend through eyes of admiration.

The ache was beginning to worsen, though, as it's thirty-year anniversary of being present passed and things stayed the same. The guilt he was harboring also festered because he'd built a life, had wonderful children with a beautiful women whom he loved—but it killed him every day because _she_ _ wasn't Link _ , which killed him even more because he knew he shouldn't be comparing his wife to his best friend. He had to shake this thought away too often.

The latest project from Rhett & Link was a show they were working on called Buddy System. Rhett loved it because it reminded him of the adventures they'd had as kids, of days spent dreaming up impossible feats and exploring every corner of their hometown. It felt like something their younger selves would be proud of—like a fulfilment of the blood oath they'd made ages ago.

They were spending a few days in San Diego to shoot some scenes for this show; after a long day, both of working and having fun, they were exhausted. Both men collapsed on the bed in their hotel room. Usually these days they were lucky enough to find rooms with two beds, but this time was not the case. They both acted like this was a burden, rolling their eyes, but Rhett was secretly pleased with the arrangement.

"Man, I'm tired," Link said, yawning and rubbing his eyes.

"Me too, brother," Rhett replied as he got up to climb under the sheets of the queen-sized bed. Link did the same after turning the lights off, so that the only remaining light in the room was the lamp on Rhett's bedside table.

"Goodnight, then," Link said. He took his glasses off and placed them on his bedside table.

"Goodnight. And you better stay on your side of the bed this time!" Rhett said with a grin, referring to their previous encounters of sharing a hotel bed. Link laughed at the implied memory of him spooning Rhett in his sleep; Rhett replied with another soft whisper of "goodnight."

"Goodnight, Rhett," Link said. The way he looked in that moment stuck in Rhett's brain. He was laying on his side facing the other man, the yellow light from Rhett's side of the bed throwing shadows over his face. A goofy, lopsided grin had taken over his mouth, though his eyes had fallen closed in an effort to sleep. His dark hair was still pushed back over his head, as it had been for the past six months above its short sides, but it had been mussed by his pillow and was now sticking out at untidy angles. He had a faint shadow of stubble along the bottom of his face. Though he always looked good, Rhett especially enjoyed when Link didn't have his glasses on. He happily seized this opportunity to take in the way his best friend's perfect nose looked bare, the gentle curl of his long eyelashes. He'd looked at Link a million times before, but Rhett still couldn't get enough of it.

As he took all of these things into his memory, he felt a tiny smile tugging at the corners of his own mouth. He quickly leaned forward and softly pressed his lips to Link's, barely kissing him. He felt Link respond, but the other man didn't kiss him back for a few seconds. When he did, the kiss stayed slow but especially intimate. Rhett touched his fingers to Link's cheek, ran them up into his best friend's soft hair, and then down to the back of his neck. 

And when he was beginning to enjoy himself a bit too much, Link pulled away. He rested his forehead on Rhett's, his brow furrowed frustratedly but his eyes still closed.

"Rhett...." And now he finally opened his eyes; this is probably the closest he's ever seen them, Rhett thought, as the brilliant blue pierced his own green. The troubled look had taken over there, too, not just on his brow.

"Link, I'm sorry, I'll—Look, let's just forget about it and go to sleep, okay, I'll stay on my side of the bed this time and—"

"No." Suddenly Link jerked his face away with a somewhat angry expression. "You know that won't happen. After all these years...."

Rhett, of course, knew that he was right. He moved backward on the bed himself, falling onto his back so that he wouldn't have to look at Link.

"Alright. So what are you saying?"

"I mean.... I don't really even know, I just don't want to keep putting it off. I mean, we talk to each other about  _ everything _  except this. And we both know the conversation has to come eventually...." Link sounded exasperated, like he couldn't find words, but Rhett nodded in understanding. Over the years, they'd never spoken of any of these encounters, instead simply shaken them off and moved on. Or at least outwardly; internally, Rhett considered them somewhat often and hoped Link did the same.

He knew that Link was right, but Rhett still had no clue where to start. "Well... what do you wanna do about it?"

Though this was his way of bringing it up, he knew what Link would say. He knew it, but a rather large piece of him hoped beyond hope that he was wrong.

"What do you mean? Rhett... I love Christy. I mean, I guess—" He gulped and then continued, shakily, "You know, I guess there's been times where I didn't think of you as just a friend."

Rhett nodded, thrilled to hear this, that he hadn't been imagining things this whole time, but knew that that didn't change anything.

Link sighed before continuing. "And I'm assuming you feel the same way, but _still_.... We have families, man. I can't leave that behind."

Rhett nodded again, more slowly this time. "You're right," he confessed, and was surprised to hear his voice come out sounding constricted.

"And we can't do...  _ this _  anymore," Link went on. Rhett glanced over his at his best friend and was surprised to see the look of sadness there. Once more, he nodded, his eyes locked on Link's. It broke his heart, but it would be enough for him because it was what Link wanted. He replied with a simple, "Alright. Of course."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

So things stayed the same.

 

* * *

 

 

It was June 1, 2018, Link's fortieth birthday. They'd had a small celebration at the office, and the crew had even made a cake lined with Mini Wheats to get a laugh out of the birthday boy.

Rhett had also given Link a present on-camera, both as a gift to his best friend and to be funny. They didn't usually get each other gifts, but Rhett decided that Link's fortieth was extra-special. The present was a blindingly yellow t-shirt with a picture of the miniature horse Rhett had sponsored for Link a couple years back on it, and it read, "Sponsored by Rhett McLaughlin" in big letters.

Later in the day, just before they usually left to go home, the two men found themselves sitting on the couch in their office alone.

"So do you like your shirt?" Rhett asked, licking his lower lip. Link laughed.

"It's great, thanks." He looked down at his torso, where the shirt still was. "I especially love that your name takes up even more space than the horse itself."

Both men laughed this time. Link looked back up to Rhett, and Rhett suddenly realized how close together they were sitting. He noticed for what must have been the billionth time how perfect Link look with his small smile, one side of his mouth lifted slightly. Rhett felt his body lean just a fraction of an inch closer before he caught himself, quickly moving backward again, much more noticeably than he intended. An awkward silence hung in the air for a few moments as Rhett tried to think of a way out.

"You know, I think I should—" He stumbled over his words, stopping mid-sentence as he moved to retrieve his car keys from the coffee table in front of them. His embarrassment was relieved when he heard Link laugh slightly.

"Yeah, we should be heading home."

Rhett nodded in agreement. He felt like an idiot, so weak-willed barely being able to control himself. He was mad at himself for letting things happen the way they did; he was mad that he didn't take charge in college all those years ago, before it was too late.

He could tell that Link noticed his slip-up much more than he put on and appreciated that he didn't say anything of it. Rhett was just glad that this time he  _ had _  caught it, because he didn't know if he could forgive himself if he broke the promise he'd made. It hurt, but he pushed his feelings aside every day, by Link's request.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then," Rhett said as he walked out of their office.

"Alright."

"And," he stopped in the doorway to smirk back at Link, "happy birthday, again."

"Thanks, Rhett," Link replied with a warm smile. Something about it told Rhett that he wasn't just talking about for the birthday wishes.

"Of course."

So things stayed the same.

**Author's Note:**

> I would just like to thank my lovely friend Leila (rhetticulous on tumblr) for proofreading this for me, coming up with Link's birthday present, and for just being an all-around incredible human being :)


End file.
